Pennsylvania set to OK medical pot; Ohio could follow soon

Diana Briggs, left, Jamie Messersmith and Cooper Salemme listen at a news conference in the Pennsylvania Capitol where parents of children suffering from debilitating seizures urged the state House of Representatives to pass medical marijuana legislation, Wednesday, April 13, 2016, in Harrisburg, Pa. Briggs, of Export, is holding a photo of her son Ryan, 15, who suffers daily seizures, and cannot walk or talk. Messersmith's nephew and Salemme's brother Jackson, 9, also suffers daily seizures.(Photo: Marc Levy, AP)

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania is set to become the latest state to legalize medical marijuana as the Legislature sent a bill to the governor on Wednesday, after parents of children suffering from debilitating seizures circulated the Capitol urging lawmakers to act.

The House voted, 149-46, capping several years of door-to-door lobbying by parents and more than a year-and-a-half since the state Senate first approved a medical marijuana bill in 2014. Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, has indicated he will sign it.

Meanwhile, in Ohio, lawmakers promised to legalize medical marijuana by the summer, before voters get a chance to decide a ballot question in the fall election.

Pennsylvania would become the 24th state to legalize a comprehensive medical marijuana program, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The issue has been driven by parents who believe a marijuana oil extract can help relieve the daily seizures that have left their children in wheelchairs or functioning far below their grade level. Some say they worried that the next seizure will kill their child.

Christine Brann, of Hummelstown in suburban Harrisburg, said that every day without a medical marijuana law in Pennsylvania is a risk for people who believe their suffering child may not survive another day.

"Every day we roll the dice on our child's or our loved one's life," said Brann, whose 5-year-old son, Garrett, is diagnosed with a severe form of epilepsy known as Dravet syndrome.

The bill sets standards for tracking plants, certifying physicians and licensing growers, dispensaries and physicians. Patients could take marijuana in pill, oil, vapor or liquid form but would not be able to legally obtain marijuana to smoke or to grow their own.

The Pennsylvania Medical Society opposed the bill and one opponent, Rep. Matt Baker, R-Tioga, warned that the bill violates federal drug laws and that the state would see a drastic impact on addiction and abuse.

"There's serious consequences associated with this monumental piece of legislation," Baker told colleagues during floor speech before the vote.

In Ohio on Wednesday, lawmakers set an aggressive schedule for legislation that would allow licensed doctors to prescribe edibles, patches, plant material and oils. State Rep. Kirk Schuring, a Canton Republican who chaired a medical marijuana task force, said it will prohibit home growing — which he says is too hard to control.

Lawmakers said that polling during a more sweeping ballot campaign that failed last year made clear to the Republican-controlled state Legislature that the issue wasn't going away.

Ian James, who led last year's marijuana legalization effort, called the House proposal historic.

"We've never had in the state's history a time when the Statehouse has so thoroughly vetted medical marijuana, considered its positives, its negatives and brought so many people together," he said.

Physicians must be registered by the state to certify that a patient has an eligible condition and a patient must get a Department of Health-issued ID card.

The legislation's drafters say they expect it would be two years before regulations are written and retailers are ready to sell to patients. However, a safe harbor provision in the bill would allow parents to avoid the wait by legally buying medical marijuana from another state for their child.

Cara Salemme, whose 9-year-old son Jackson has suffered daily seizures for the past four years, said parents will immediately seek help for their children, if they haven't already.

"There are many people in Pennsylvania who aren't waiting, they're healing," said Salemme, of Spring Grove, near York. "We'll definitely do what we need to do."

Diana Briggs, of Export, near Pittsburgh, said she hopes to help her 15-year-old son, Ryan, who suffered a brain injury at birth and has suffered from daily seizures since that have left him in a wheelchair, unable to talk or walk. Nothing has worked, including pharmaceuticals, stem cell therapy, diet or electrical nerve stimulation therapy, Briggs said.

Ryan's doctors believe medical marijuana could help him, she said.

"If it can alleviate these seizures, I can't imagine what he could accomplish," Briggs said.